"When can I possibly fit it into my already over-packed day?"
Have you ever asked these questions about poetry? The 30 Painless Classroom Poems series makes it easy for you, the elementary school teacher, media specialist, or reading specialist, to share poetry with your students. Whether you already love poetry or you fear or even actively dislike it, these books are for you. The poems, Notes from the Poet, extension activities written by experienced classroom teachers, and tips for using poetry in your classroom will have you sharing poems in no time.
In Fairy Tale Garage Sale, award-winning poet Laura Purdie Salas (author of BookSpeak!, Water Can Be..., and more) shares 30 poems from the citizens of Fairy Tale Land, who are having a neighborhood garage sale. Finally, they can get rid of clutter from their earlier adventures! These 30 poems focus on seven fairy tales: Cinderella; Goldilocks and the Three Bears; Snow White and the Seven Dwarves; Rapunzel; Jack and the Beanstalk; The Emperor's New Clothes; and Thumbelina. For each fairy tale, an introductory poem summarizes the key events of the tale for those students not familiar with it. Then three poems from three characters' points-of-view offer up items for sale. What does the Evil Queen need with a mirror that tells the truth, after all? And why doesn't Rapunzel need barrettes anymore? These humorous poems offer behind-the-scenes looks and sometimes different opinions about why things happened as they did. Great for comparing versions of the same event when paired with prose or multimedia versions of the fairy tales. Mostly rhyming poems, but some other forms, too (cinquain, diamante, acrostic...) Extension activities by Colby Sharp share ideas for springboarding from these poems into deeper learning across many content areas.
Sample:
From Rapunzel: Item for sale: Castle For sale by: The Witch Charming Tower - Perfect for One
One room
One window
Not one single door
No rugs
No curtains
No tacky décor
I'm old
Can't climb up
These walls made of stone
So make me
An offer
And make this your home!
Note from the Poet:
Repetition (and I know I've already talked about this in another Note, so I'm repeating myself a little bit!) is really key to lots of poetry. I repeat two words in this poem: "one" and "no." The idea for this horrible castle where Rapunzel was kept prisoner is that it's lonely. It's lacking in anything that would show comfort or luxury. I'm hoping that repeating those words helps get that idea across.
See all of the 30 Painless Classroom Poems at www.30PainlessClassroomPoems.com.
Disclaimer: For those of you collecting all my 30 Painless Classroom Poems books, please note that some information, such as Why Poetry Matters and Classroom Poetry Tips, is repeated from book to book. The introduction to the book, the poems, the Notes from the Poet, and the classroom activities are unique to each book.
About the Author: As a kid, Laura Purdie Salas devoured books. Her three big sisters taught her to read when she was 4, and she read constantly, ignoring orders from her parents to "Go outside and get some fresh air!" She grew up in Florida and heard these dreaded words year round. When forced outside, she climbed up to her treehouse or lay on the trampoline, reading. Books were magic, and it never occurred to her that real people actually wrote them.
Today, Laura is thrilled to be part of creating that magic for today's kids. She has written more than 120 books for kids and teens, including Water Can Be... (Millbrook, 2014), A Leaf Can Be... (Millbrook, 2012: Bank Street Best Books, IRA Teachers' Choice, Minnesota Book Award Finalist, Riverby Award for Nature Books for Young Readers, and more), and BookSpeak! Poems About Books (Clarion/HMH, 2011: Minnesota Book Award, NCTE Notable, Bank Street Best Books, Eureka! Gold Medal, and more). She loves to visit with students and teachers to share her joy in poetry, books, and language. She is also the author of several how-to poetry books for kids, including Picture Yourself Writing Poetry (Capstone, 2011) and Write Your Own Poetry (Compass Point, 2008).
Laura and her family live in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where it's just a touch cooler than Florida!
Learn more about Laura at laurasalas.com
